Haugesund City Hall is the

city hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

Haugesund Haugesund () is a municipality on the North Sea in Rogaland county, Norway. While the population is greater in the neighboring Karmøy municipality, the main commercial and economic centre of the Haugaland region in northern Rogaland and southern ...

municipality in

Rogaland Rogaland () is a Counties of Norway, county in Western Norway, bordering the North Sea to the west and the counties of Vestland to the north, Vestfold og Telemark to the east and Agder to the east and southeast. In 2020, it had a population of 47 ...

county,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

History

Funding for the city hall was donated in 1921 by shipping magnate Knut Knutsen (Knut Knutsen OAS) and his wife Elisabeth. In 1921 they donated 1 million

Norwegian krone The krone (, abbreviation: kr (also NKr for distinction); code: NOK), plural ''kroner'', is currency of the Kingdom of Norway (including Svalbard). Traditionally known as the Norwegian crown in English. It is nominally subdivided into 100 ''� ...

s to the construction of the town hall. The gift was given in respect Knut Knutsen O.A.S. 50 years anniversary. Later, the shipping magnate also provided funding for the preparation of the park around the town hall. In 1947 Elisabeth Knutsen donated 1 million krones for preparation of the city hall's square and the decorations of the city hall and the garden of the city hall.Haugesund Rådhus, History
Haugesund municipality It was completed a closed architectural competition and the architects

Herman Munthe-Kaas Herman Munthe-Kaas (25 May 1890 – 5 May 1977) was a Norwegian architect. He was primarily known for his functionalist building designs. Biography Munthe-Kaas was born at Christiania (now Oslo), Norway. He was the son of Marius William M ...

and

Gudolf Blakstad Gudolf Blakstad (19 May 1893 – 22 November 1985) was a Norwegian architect. He was noted for his work in the transition between neo-classicism and functionalism in Norwegian architecture. Biography Blakstad was born in Gjerpen, Norway. He ...

was commissioned to draw the city hall. The draft distinguishes itself by being drawn in a style of the 1920s, the internationally oriented

Neoclassism Neoclassicism (also spelled Neo-classicism) was a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassicism wa ...

. Construction work began in 1923 and the city hall was completed in autumn 1931. Because of serious financial problems due to the growing international economic crisis, the construction work set in 1925 until spring 1929. As construction work got under way again, the plans were simplified and altered a more functionalistic direction. The building's distinctive bright red (pink) exterior color has remained unchanged from it was completed. From 1993, the city hall and the city hall gardens were protected by law.Haugesund Town Hall
www.visitnorway.com

References

{{Reflist, 2 Buildings and structures in Haugesund City and town halls in Norway 1931 establishments in Norway